GA Studies CRCT Study Guide

UNIT 2 – Geography & Prehistoric Native American Traditions

SS8G1 – The student will describe Georgia with regard to physical features and location.

A. Locate Georgia in relation to region, nation, continent, and hemispheres.

Georgia is located in the northern and western hemispheres.

Georgia is located on the continent of North America

Georgia is located in the nation of the United States of America.

Georgia is located in the southeastern region of the United States.

Georgia is bordered by five states. Georgia is north of Florida, east of Alabama, south of Tennessee and North Carolina, and west of South Carolina and the Atlantic Ocean.

2

B. Describe the five physiographic regions of Georgia; include the Blue Ridge Mountains, Valley and Ridge, Appalachian Plateau, Piedmont, and Coastal Plain.

A - The smallest of the five regions

C - The site of the first U.S. gold rush

D - The most populated region

A - GA’s only source of a fossil fuel

C - The highest peak, Brasstown Bald

D - Contains Georgia’s peaches

A - Includes only Dade and Walker County

D - The industrial/business heart of Georgia

E - The largest physiographic region

B - Contains most of the state’s textile industry

B - Contains ridges with valleys between

D - Contains Atlanta, the state’s largest city

C - Highest amount of annual rainfall

A B C

D

E

E - Contains most of Georgia’s peanut & cotton farms

D - Contains soil made up of Georgia red clay; means “foot of the mountains” C. Locate and evaluate the importance of key physical features on the development of Georgia; include the Fall Line, Okefenokee Swamp, Appalachian Mountains, Chattahoochee and Savannah Rivers, and Barrier Islands.

Fall Line

Savannah River

Chattahoochee

River Barrier Islands

Okefenokee Swamp

3

The dramatic drop in elevation dividing the Coastal Plain from the Piedmont is the Fall Line. This feature is believed to represent Georgia’s coastline from millions of years ago.

The second largest freshwater marsh in the United States is the Okefenokee Swamp.

The northern regions of Georgia represent the southern end of the great Appalachian Mountain Range. Here, the most important industry is tourism.

Georgia’s most important river, representing Georgia’s border with Alabama is the Chattahoochee River.

Georgia’s border with South Carolina is the Savannah River. It was an early source of transportation for the colonial settlers.

The dramatic drop in elevation caused by the Fall Line causes the rivers to form waterfalls.

Once serving as a protective line against Spanish invaders and pirates, the Barrier Islands now protect Georgia’s mainland from inclement weather.

D. Evaluate the impact of climate on Georgia’s development.

Conditions on a particular day (i.e., snow, rain, thunderstorms, etc.) are called weather. Conditions over an extended period of time are called climate.

Georgia and its neighbor states are part of a warm region of the United States called the Sun Belt.

In which of Georgia’s regions would tourists most likely go hiking? Blue Ridge

What region attracts people who like to go to the beach? Coastal Plain

4

Why does Georgia have a longer growing season than northern states? Georgia is located within the Sun

Why do peanuts and cotton grow well in Georgia? Because of GA’s soil and climate.

SS8H1 – The student will evaluate the development of North American cultures and the impact of European exploration and settlement on the

Native American cultures in Georgia.

A. Describe the evolution of Native American cultures (Paleo, Archaic, Woodland, and Mississippian) prior to European

Paleo-Indian Archaic Woodland Mississippian

Time Period 10,000 – 8,000

B.C. 8,000 –

1,000 B.C. 1,000 B.C. – A.D. 1,000

1000- 1600

Technological Advancements

(i.e., tools, weapons,

pottery, etc.)

Clovis point

atlatl; crude pottery

decorative pottery; bow &

arrow

highly ornate pottery,

clothing, jewelry

Food Sources

large game

large game; small game; fish; nuts & berries

small game; small-scale

farming

small game; large-scale farming

Organization (i.e., nomadic bands, cities,

etc.)

small nomadic bands

small nomadic bands

small, permanent

villages

cities; nations; chiefdoms

Evidence of Religion

NA

NA

small burial mounds; artistic

expression

great mounds; artistic

expression

A man-made relic is called an artifact. Examples include: arrowhead; diary; pottery

A natural relic is called an ecofact. Examples include: shark’s teeth; bones; fossils

5

UNIT 3 – Exploration & Colonization

SS8H1 – The student will evaluate the development of North American cultures and the impact of European exploration and settlement on the

Native American cultures in Georgia. B. Evaluate the impact of European contact on Native American cultures including Spanish missions along the barrier islands, and the exploration of Hernando de Soto.

During the Age of Exploration, European explorers were attempting to find a water route to the Indies

When Columbus arrived in North America, he believed he was in India. Because of this, he called the Native Americans Indians

Because Spanish explorers were conquerors, they were called conquistadors.

Spain claimed all of the New World and called it La Florida

The Spanish explorer, who led an expedition into the American southeast, becoming the first European to look upon Georgia, was Hernando De Soto.

In order to convert the Native Americans to Catholicism, the Spanish established missions along the southeastern coast of North America.

Though the Spanish explorers brought weapons and horses to the New World, the thing most responsible for the death of thousands of Native Americans was disease.

C. Explain reasons for European exploration and settlement of North America, with emphasis on the interests of the French, Spanish, and British in the southeastern area.

The three goals of Spanish exploration in the New World were God, gold, and glory:

God refers to the religious motivation to convert the Natives to Catholicism.

Gold refers to the economic motivation of discovering new sources of wealth for the Spanish Empire.

Glory refers to the military motivation of conquering new lands for the Spanish Empire.

6

The French explorer who established the city of Quebec (in Canada), along with a prosperous fur trade there, was Samuel de Champlain.

The French explorer who founded New Orleans was Sieur de La Salle.

Under the English king, King Henry VIII, the Catholic Church was replaced with the Anglican Church (Church of England).

In 1588, Spain launched the Spanish Armada in an attempt to conquer England and force its return to the Catholic Church. The result was disastrous for Spain, and the Spanish Empire never recovered.

In 1607, England established its first permanent North American colony at Jamestown. By the 1660s, England had established 12 colonies in North America. The final English colony to be founded was Georgia, and it was established by a Charter in the year 1732.

Name Approx. Date

Nation Description

Christopher Columbus

1492

Spain Chose to sail westward in his effort to find an all- water route to India; discovered the islands off the coast of North America; believing he was in India,

he described the natives as “Indians”

Pope Alexander VI

1494

Roman Catholic Church

Drew the “Line of Demarcation,” diving the world between the Catholic powers of Spain and Portugal; Portugal was guaranteed their routes around Africa;

Spain was guaranteed all western routes to the Indies (and all newly discovered lands in between)

Conquistadors

1500

Spain Spanish explorers almost always explored as officers of the Spanish Imperial Army; their explorations, therefore, were “conquests”

Hernando de Soto

1540

Spain

Spanish conquistador who became the first European to explore the interior of what would

become the southeastern United States; he was the first European to enter Georgia and the first to

look upon the Mississippi River.

Three G’s

1500s

Spain

The motivations of Spanish exploration (God – religious motivation; Gold – economic motivation;

Glory – military motivation)

Spanish Missions

1500s

Spain Established in the coast of La Florida to convert

Native Americans to Roman Catholicism (by force if necessary)

7

Name Approx. Date

Nation Description

Sieur de La Salle

1682

France Explored the Mississippi basin, naming it La

Louisiane, and claimed it in the name of France.

King Henry VIII

1530s

England King of England who used his authority to remove England from the Catholic Church and establish

the Anglican Church (Church of England)

Spanish Armada

1588 Spain

vs.

England

Failed attempt by Spain to launch a massive fleet to invade England and force it back into the Catholic Church; Spain never recovered from the disaster.

Jamestown

1607

England The first permanent English colony in North

America, representing the decline of Spanish power and the rise of English power.

Samuel de Champlain

1608

France Father of “New France” who founded New France

and the city of Quebec, and established the fur trade there.

A. SPAIN

B. FRANCE

C. ENGLAND

8

SS8H2 – The student will analyze the colonial period of Georgia’s history.

A. Explain the importance of James Oglethorpe, the Charter of 1732, reasons for settlement (charity, economics, and defense), Tomochichi, Mary Musgrove, and the city of Savannah.

The father of the colony of Georgia was Sir James Oglethorpe, who was overwhelmed by the terrible conditions of England’s prisons, and felt that many poor unfortunates had been wrongly imprisoned. He wanted to found a new colony where these poor unfortunates, debtors, etc., could get a fresh start away from the corruption of English society.

King George II granted permission to found a new colony in the year 1732.

According the charter for the new colony, the colony would have three purposes (C, E, D):

Charity - the colony would be a place for the poor unfortunate to get a new start

Economics - the colony would be a source of wealth for England

Defense - the colony would serve as a “buffer colony” to protect South Carolina from the Spanish threat in La Florida.

Under the terms of the charter, certain things were not permitted:

Land ownership

Alcoholic beverages

Slavery

Lawyers

Under the terms of the charter, the colony would be governed by James Oglethorpe and twenty other men, who held the colony in trust for the King. These men, therefore, were called Trustees.

The original name for the settlement of Savannah was Yamacraw Bluff, named after the local Native American tribe.

The chief of the local Yamacraw Indians was Tomochichi.

Oglethorpe’s female interpreter and assistant was Mary Musgrove.

9

According to the Charter of 1732, how were Georgia’s borders defined: Georgia extended from the mouth of the Altamaha and St. Mary’s Rivers on the Atlantic coast to the Pacific coast.

B. Evaluate the Trustee Period of Georgia’s colonial history emphasizing the role of the Salzburgers, Highland Scots, malcontents, and the Spanish threat from Florida.

One of the few groups of people to prosper economically during the Trustee period was the Salzburgers, a group of German Protestants from Austria who settled in the town of Ebenezer.

One particular ethnic group, the Highland Scots, was recruited in order to help defend Georgia against the Spanish threat from La Florida. They settled in the town of Darien.

One group of colonists, the malcontents, were a major frustration for the Trustees because of their constant complaining about the colony’s rules and restrictions.

Oglethorpe finally ended the Spanish threat from Florida after defeating a Spanish invasion at the Battle of Bloody Marsh. This battle was important because it permanently ended the Spanish threat to Georgia.

C. Explain the development of Georgia as a royal colony with regard to land ownership, slavery, government, and the impact of the royal governors.

Georgia’s first royal governor who was too stern and often had conflicts with the colonists was Captain John Reynolds.

Georgia’s second royal governor, who was popular but too old and sickly, was Sir Henry Ellis.

Georgia’s third and most successful royal governor was Sir James Wright. In order to recruit more settlers to Georgia, he established a system of land distribution, whereby heads of household would receive large amounts of land, in addition to land grants for each family member. This system was called the headright system.

Georgia’s legislature, established during the Royal Period, was called the House of Assembly. During the Royal Period, therefore, Georgians gained limited self- government.

How did Georgia’s restrictions on slavery and land ownership change during the Royal Period? At the end of the Trustee Period, Georgia residents were permitted to own land and slaves; the first slaves were brought to Georgia in 1752.

10

UNIT 4 – Statehood

SS8H3 – The student will analyze the role of Georgia in the American Revolution.

A. Explain the immediate and long-term causes of the American Revolution and their impact on Georgia, including the Seven Years’ War, Proclamation of 1763, Stamp Act, Intolerable Acts, and the Declaration of Independence.

D Though England was victorious over France, A. Proclamation of 1763 she was left with a massive debt and looked to

American colonies to help pay it.

A In order to keep the colonists from conflict with Native Americans, and in order to make it

B. Declaration of Independence

easier to tax the colonies, King George III issued C. Lexington & Concord this law forbidding colonists from settling west

of the Appalachian Mountains. D. Seven Years’ War (or,

F One of the measures adopted by England to tax French & Indian War) the colonies, requiring a stamp to be purchased

a placed on every paper good; this was the first incident of widespread opposition to England. E. Intolerable Acts

E In response to continuous colonial rebellion, including the Boston Tea Party, England passed this series of harsh laws designed to punish the F. Stamp Act colony of Massachusetts and set an example for the other colonies. This caused the other colonies to discuss the possibility of uniting against English oppression.

C The first battle of the Revolutionary War; fought in 1775, it was known as the “shot heard ‘round the world” because it changed the course of world history.

B In Philadelphia, on July 4, 1776, representatives from all thirteen colonies signed this document, explaining the reasons why the colonies should be free of English rule. It was written primarily by Thomas Jefferson.

As a result of the Seven Year’s War, Georgia’s western border was changed from the Pacific Ocean to the Mississippi River.

11

B. Analyze the significance of people and events in Georgia on the Revolutionary War to include Loyalists, Patriots, Elijah Clarke, Austin Dabney, Nancy Hart, Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, the Battle of Kettle Creek, and the Siege of Savannah.

The three Georgia delegates who signed the Declaration of Independence were Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, and George Walton.

Those who supported American Independence were called Whigs/Patriots, and they lived primarily in the backcountry/upcountry. Those who were loyal to the King of England were called Tories/Whigs, and they lived primarily around the port city of Savannah. Most people in Georgia were Tories/Whigs.

In the most important Revolutionary War battle fought in Georgia, the Whigs defeated the British at Kettle Creek, preventing the British from capturing the backcountry. The Whig commander, famous for the use of guerilla tactics, was Elijah Clarke. A slave by the name of Austin Dabney fought for the Whigs here and served as an American spy.

The Americans were defeated in their attempt to capture the city of Savannah from the British. This was the second bloodiest battle of the Revolutionary War.

The six-foot tall, red-headed “Wauhatchie War Woman,” named Nancy Hart, served as a Whig spy and, according to legend, killed several British troops who trespassed on her property.

SS8H4 – The student will describe the impact of events that led to the ratification of the United States Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

A. Analyze the strengths and weaknesses of both the Georgia Constitution of 1777 and the Articles of Confederation and explain how the Articles of Confederation led to a need to revise the Articles.

The first national form of government was called the Articles of Confederation. The first permanent state government was called the Constitution of 1777.

Both governments reflected American fears of another strong central government like the one experienced under British rule. In order to prevent this, both governments purposely made the executive branch extremely weak and the legislative branch too powerful. As a result, both governments were eventually replaced.

12

Law Making Law

Explaining

Law Enforcing

Basic Functions of Government

Legislative Judicial

Executive

The Articles of Confederation

Description of the Legislative Branch

Under the A.O.C.

Unicameral Congress; no power to levy taxes; was unable to pass any legislation

without the approval of all states

Description of the Executive Branch

Under the A.O.C.

No executive branch under the Articles of

Confederation

Description of the Judicial Branch

Under the A.O.C.

No judicial branch under the Articles of

Confederation

Strengths of the A.O.C.

Established the principle of representative government; had a written constitution

Weaknesses of the A.O.C.

No real power to tax; no ability to enforce or interpret legislation; no ability to raise an

army for the common defense.

13

The Georgia Constitution of 1777

Description of the Legislative Branch Under the Constitution of 1777

Unicameral body called the General Assembly; most powerful of all branches,

with significant power of the executive and judicial branch

Description of the Executive Branch Under the Constitution of 1777

Governor elected by the General Assembly and limited to a one-year term; 12-man

executive council appointed by the General Assembly

Description of the Judicial Branch Under the Constitution of 1777.

A Superior Court was created for each of Georgia’s counties

Strengths of the Constitution of 1777 Attempted to create a separation of powers and a representative government; a written

constitution outlining basic rights

Weaknesses of the Constitution of 1777

The legislative branch was given too much power, while the executive branch was too

limited; because most Georgians were Tories, the Constitution of 1777 (a Whig

document), was never ratified

B. Describe the role of Georgia at the Constitutional Convention of 1787 including the role of Abraham Baldwin and William Few, and reasons why Georgia ratified the new constitution.

Because of the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation, representatives from the states met in Philadelphia in 1787 for the purpose of “revising” the Articles. Ultimately, the Articles were replaced by the United States Constitution. This gathering of delegates, therefore, was called the Constitutional Convention.

Georgia appointed six delegates to go to Philadelphia, but only two signed the Constitution. They were Abraham Baldwin and William Few.

The greatest debate in Philadelphia concerned the issue of representation. States with larger populations (e.g., New York, Pennsylvania, etc.) wanted the representation of states to be based on population. States with smaller populations (e.g., Delaware, Georgia, etc.) wanted states to be represented equally. The debate was resolved with the creation of a bicameral legislature made up of two houses, the House of Representatives and the Senate. This solution was called the Great Compromise.

Georgia supported ratifying (approving) the Constitution because of the hope that a strong government would provide protection against Indians and the Spanish threat from Florida. Georgia became the 4th state to ratify the U.S. Constitution.

14

The U.S. Government under the Constitution

A. The U.S. Congress (House of Representatives & Senate)

B. The U.S. Supreme Court

C. The U.S. President and

Vice President

Georgia’s Government under the Constitution of 1983

A. The General Assembly (House of Representatives

& State Senate)

B. The GA Supreme Court

C. The Governor and Lieutenant Governor

A

A

15

SS8H5 – The student will explain the significant factors that affected the development of Georgia as part of the growth of the United Sates

between 1789 and 1840. A. Explain the establishment of the University of Georgia, Louisville, and the spread of Baptist and Methodist churches.

The first public, land-grant institution of higher learning in American history was the University of Georgia. The charter for this university was written by Abraham Baldwin, who had signed the U.S. Constitution on behalf of Georgia.

Throughout Georgia’s history, there have been five state capitals. These capitals moved further and further west, following Georgia’s population. Georgia’s five capital cities are:

Savannah

Augusta

Louisville

Milledgeville

Atlanta

The Georgia Governor most responsible for the rebuilding of churches after the Revolutionary War was Lyman Hall, who had also signed the Declaration of Independence on Georgia’s behalf. To the present day, Georgia’s largest Christian denominations are Baptist and Methodist.

B. Evaluate the impact of land policies pursued by Georgia to include the headright system, land lotteries, and the Yazoo land fraud.

In order to attract more people to settle in Georgia, Georgia’s leaders continued policies of land distribution. Unfortunately, the land policies were abused by corrupt legislators and land speculators. This scandal was called the Yazoo Land Fraud.

After the scandal, Georgia’s headright system was replaced with the land lotteries in which individuals who lived in Georgia were given a chance to win land in a drawing. Those who won land this way were called fortunate drawers.

Georgia’s western lands were given to the U.S. government, and eventually the states of Alabama and Mississippi were created by the government.

16

C. Explain how technological developments including the cotton gin and railroads impacted Georgia growth.

In 1793, Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin, a device which extracted seeds from cotton, making the growing of cotton extremely cost efficient. Soon Georgia was the largest cotton producer in the world, and cotton became known as “King Cotton”. In order to support the growing cotton industry, the south became more dependent on slavery.

To transport cotton to the port city of Savannah, Georgia needed a new system of transportation faster and more reliable than the rivers and wagon trails. Georgia turned to railroads as the major system of transportation.

On of Georgia’s most important railroads was the Western & Atlantic railroad, connecting Ross’s Landing (later Chattanooga) in the north to central Georgia. The southern termination point of the W&A Railroad was called Terminus. In a matter of years, the southern end of the railroad grew into a small town that was renamed Marthasville after the daughter of railroad supporter, Gov. Lumpkin. By 1845, the town had grown into a bustling city and was renamed Atlanta, after the Western & Atlantic Railroad.

D. Analyze the events that led to the removal of Creeks and Cherokees including the roles of Alexander McGillivray, William McIntosh, Sequoyah, John Ross, Dahlonega Gold Rush, Worcester v. Georgia , Andrew Jackson, John Marshall, and the Trail of Tears.

The two great Indian nations in Georgia were the Creek, residing in south Georgia, and the Cherokee, residing in north Georgia.

Georgians came to distrust the Creek because the Creek had sided with Great Britain during the Revolutionary War. Some Creeks, like the great Creek warrior Alexander McGillivray had brutally attacked Whig settlements on the frontier during the war. As the U.S. continued to grow, the Creek were forced to give up more and more of their land. Ultimately, with the Treaty of Indian Springs of 1825, all Creek lands in Georgia were surrendered by Creek Chief William McIntosh, who was afterwards assassinated by a Creek war party.

The discovery of gold in Dahlonega in 1828 brought whites into contact with the Cherokee. Though the Cherokee were extremely advanced and “civilized” (even possessing a writing system invented by Sequoyah), whites wanted the Cherokees to become GA citizens or to leave. In 1830, the Indian Removal Act was signed by President Andrew Jackson, forcing Indians to move west of the Mississippi.

The Cherokee, led by John Ross, sued the U.S. government in court. In the famous U.S. Supreme Court decision, called Worcester v Georgia, the Chief Justice of the U.S. John Marshall ruled the Indian Removal Act unconstitutional.

17

The Supreme Court’s decision was ignored, and in 1838, 14000 Cherokee were forced out of the southeastern United States on an 800-mile journey to the Indian territory known as the Trail of Tears.

UNIT 5 – Sectionalism, Civil War & Reconstruction

A. Explain the importance of key issues and events that led to the Civil War including slavery, states’ rights, nullification, Missouri Compromise, Compromise of 1850 and the Georgia Platform, Kansas-Nebraska Act, Dred Scott case, election of 1860, the debate over secession in Georgia, and the role of Alexander Stephens.

During the 1800s, the northern states had an economy based on industry while the south had an economy based on agriculture. As the south’s dependence on agricultural products, primarily “King Cotton” grew, so did the south’s dependence upon slavery as a source of labor.

Northerners came to oppose slavery because they could not compete with the south’s source of free labor and many came to believe it was morally evil. Those who argued for an immediate end to slavery were called abolitionists.

Many in the north came to believe in nationalism, the idea that the interests of the entire nation are more important that those of a particular state or region. Southerners, on the other hand, held to states’ rights or sectionalism, the idea that the interests of the states were more important than those of the nation.

A protective tariff is a tax on an imported good

Explain the south’s position on protective tariffs and why it felt that way: Southerners opposed protective tariffs because they benefitted northern business at the expense of southern farming.

After the “nullification crisis” of 1828, President Jackson grew extremely unpopular in the South because of his decision to side with nationalists over against southern sectionalists. In Georgia, however, Jackson remained popular because of Jackson’s role in Indian removal.

18

From the 1820s to the 1860s, several compromises and events drew the North and South closer and closer to conflict:

Compromise/Event Date Description Why Does this Cause Conflict?

Missouri Compromise

1820

Missouri is admitted to the Union as a slave state; Maine is admitted to the Union as a free state (therefore maintaining balance in

the Senate); the 36°30 line became the boundary for future slave and free states

The regional differences between

North and South become a legal reality

with the 36°30 line

Nullification Crisis

1832

South Carolina passed an Ordinance of Nullification, declaring the federal tariff of

1832 “null and void”; S.C. repealed the ordinance after President Andrew Jackson

threatened to invade.

Southerners became wary of the federal

government’s willingness to use force

against the South

Compromise of 1850

1850

Controversy grew over the issue of slavery in territories won from Mexico in 1848; under this Compromise, California was

admitted as a free state, the slave trade was abolished in Washington, D.C., and a strict

fugitive slave act was enacted

“States’ rights” for Northern states was

violated by being forced to submit to the

fugitive slave act

Georgia Platform to the Compromise of

1850

1850

Georgia threatens to secede from the Union if northern statements fail to

adequately enforce the fugitive slave act.

The threat of secession is once again used to

force northern tolerance of southern

slavery

Kansas-Nebraska Act

1854

People living in Kansas and Nebraska were permitted to determine the status of slavery within their states for themselves (i.e., the

doctrine of popular sovereignty)

In order to influence the vote on slavery within Kansas, pro-

and anti- slavery forces resorted to fighting (“Bleeding Kansas”)

Dred Scott Decision

1857

Dred Scott, a slave who was taken, by his master, to live in a free state sued for his

freedom; the Supreme Court ruled that only citizens could sue in court, and that Congress could not regulate private

property without due process

Northern states were essentially declared to

be slave states; the north was no longer

willing to compromise with the south

Election of 1860

1860

Republican Abraham Lincoln defeats John C. Breckinridge (Southern Democrat),

Stephen A. Douglas (Northern Democrat), and John Bell (Constitutional Union) to

become 16th U.S. President on a platform of preventing the spread of slavery.

Convinced that Lincoln’s Presidency

meant the end of slavery, the seven states

of the Deep South responded by seceding.

19

After the election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860, the seven states of the deep south chose to secede, or leave the Union. These states were: South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas.

After fighting began at Ft. Sumter in April 1861, four states of the upper south chose to secede from the Union. These states were: Virginia, Arkansas, North Carolina, and Tennessee.

There were four slave states that chose to remain in the Union. They were called border states. These states were (note: in 1861, West Virginia did not yet exist): Missouri, Kentucky, Maryland, and Delaware.

Georgia was divided on the question of secession but ultimately became one of the first seven states to leave the Union.

Who am I?

United States Senator from

Alexander H. Stephens

Originally against

secession

Georgia

Became Vice President of the C.S.A.

20

B. State the importance of key events of the Civil War to include Antietam, Emancipation Proclamation, Gettysburg, Chickamauga, the Union blockade of Georgia’s coast, Sherman’s Atlanta Campaign, Sherman’s March to the Sea, and Andersonville.

The Civil War lasted from 1861 to 1865 and was fought between the United States of America (the North) and the Confederate States of America (the South).

Originally, President Lincoln’s war aim/goal was not to free the slaves, but to preserve the Union.

The major events of the Civil War included:

E

G

The Union navy successfully captures southern forts along Georgia’s barrier islands in order to take away Georgia’s ability to trade with Europe and gain much needed supplies.

Fought in Sharpsburg, Maryland, this battle was the first major northern victory in the Civil War.

A. Gettysburg

B. Sherman’s Atlanta Campaign

D Designed to change the north’s goal in the war, and to prevent European nations from supporting the South, Lincoln issued this document, freeing slaves in states currently in rebellion against the U.S. (though technically freeing no slaves).

C. Chickamauga

A The bloodiest battle of the Civil War. The Confederate army suffered a disastrous defeat here and would

never recover.

D. Emancipation Proclamation

C The greatest battle ever fought on Georgia soil, this battle temporarily forced the Northern Army out of

E. Union Blockade

Georgia into Chattanooga. Although the South won the battle, the victory was costly, because the South could not replace the thousands of soldiers lost.

of GA’s Coast

B The north fought this series of battles in an effort to drive the Southern army south and to capture GA’s important rail hub.

F. Sherman’s March to the Sea

F The northern army’s march from Atlanta to Savannah in an effort to ravage the interior of Georgia and destroy the will of the southern people to continue to fight.

G. Antietam

Andersonville was a notorious prisoner of war camp located in Georgia.

21

Explain how the Emancipation Proclamation helped the North win the Civil War: The Emancipation Proclamation transformed the Union war aim from preserving the Union to ending slavery; since European powers were opposed to slavery, they could not provide assistance to a nation fighting to preserve slavery. Without European assistance, the Confederacy lost its best chance to win independence.

C. Analyze the impact of Reconstruction on Georgia and other southern states emphasizing Freedmen’s Bureau, sharecropping and tenant farming, Reconstruction plans, 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to the Constitution, Henry McNeal Turner and black legislators, and the Ku Klux Klan.

The period following the Civil War, from 1867 to 1877, in which southern states were brought back into the Union was called Reconstruction.

There were two major plans for restoring the southern states to the Union:

Presidential Reconstruction: characterized by “forgiveness” and “charity,” Lincoln’s plan was to immediately restore any former Confederate state to the Union once 1/10th of the 1860 voting population took an oath of loyalty to the U.S. Constitution, a new state constitution was drafted, and the 13th

Amendment abolishing slavery was ratified.

Congressional Reconstruction: characterized by “punishment” and “revenge,” the plan of Congressional Republicans was admit former Confederate states into the Union only after slavery was abolished and a majority of residents of the state disavowed the Confederacy (i.e., the Wade- Davis Bill).

Congress was able to direct “Radical Reconstruction” policies because of Lincoln’s assassination in April 1865. The South was placed under military rule, and Georgia was placed under the leadership of General John Pope.

During Reconstruction, three Amendments were added to the U.S. Constitution:

13th Amendment: slavery is abolished

14th Amendment: citizenship is given to former slaves; citizenship is defined as “equal protection under the law”

15th Amendment: the right to vote is given to former slaves

* The controversial “equal protection” clause, which defines U.S. citizenship, is found in the 14th Amendment.

In order to assist former slaves in their transition to life as free men, Congress created the Freedmen’s Bureau in 1865. It provided food, clothing, medicine, and

22

other supplies to freed slaves, and established schools to teach former slaves to read and write.

To make a living, many former slaves remained on the farms to work as sharecroppers or tenant farmers. Of the two, it was better to be a tenant farmer because it meant that you owned your own tools and supplies.

During Reconstruction, many black legislators were elected to the Georgia General Assembly, including Henry McNeal Turner, who had served as the first black chaplain in the U.S. Army. Because many of the businesses in the capital, Milledgeville, refused to serve these black legislators, General Pope ordered the capital of Georgia to be moved to Atlanta.